


The Walking Dead - Season 1

by giuly666



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, And no hunger for human meat, And they don't remember each other, As does Merle, Because Carl resembles him, Because he loved Ricki, Because she was healthy, But it didn't turn her into a walker, But that MIGHT change in the future, Carl accepts the fact with open arms, Carl doesn't know it, Carl is Ricki and Daryl's son, Carl is under the Dixons' protection, Carl knows his father is cheating on his mother with his aunt Lori, Carl loves his mother more than his father, Cheating, Daryl and Rick have a one night stand, Daryl doesn't know he has a son, Even thought wounded and in coma, F/M, Female Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes Bashing, Lori is Rick's sister, Minor Rick Grimes/Shane Walsh, One Night Stands, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Rick Grimes/Shane Walsh, Rick and Shane are married, Ricki and Daryl were drunk when they had that one night stand, Ricki got infected while in coma, Shane Walsh Bashing, Shane accepted Carl and raised him as his own son, She's a new evolved kind of walker, Since he doesn't want to stay near his aunt and father, Since he's grown closer to Daryl than he ever did with Shane, Slow Burn Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, So it didn't kill her, They had a one night stand 12 years ago, They take care of him, Though he suspects it, Unplanned Pregnancy, With a mind of her own, at the CDC, but they will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:20:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9910973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giuly666/pseuds/giuly666
Summary: AU. Female Rick Grimes.When Ricki wakes up in an abandoned hospital full of corpses, she thinks about her son and husband and sister. She tries to find them but fails, finding a man and his son instead. They help her, before she goes away to find her family. Will she find them? Will everything be the same? Or will she find a different family?





	1. Days Gone By (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> "Talking"  
> Italic --> Thoughts  
> Bold --> Writing  
> Subtitled --> Opening Scene  
> Bold and Italic --> Time

Ricki's outfit: [Hospital](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=it&id=217327535)

 

**The Walking Dead**

**_Days Gone By (part 1)_ **

I’m driving my cruiser on the road, looking for my family. It’s been some days since I woke up from my coma. I had been shot on duty, the last thing I remember before going into coma, it’s my husband’s worried face. I look at the gas level indicator and see it’s low. I stop at a gas station and get off. I see many overturned vehicles and some toys laying around. I walk around, wary of what I see. I look into a car and see a woman's decaying corpse with flies flying around it. There are many cars and some tents. _It was probably a camp of survivors._ I walk to the gas station but I see a sign saying **NO GAS**. I sigh and look around. I see nothing, so I start walking back to my cruiser, before I hear a noise. I turn back and look under the car on my right. I see two little slipper-clad feet walking, before a little pale hand takes the teddy-bear on the ground, then the person, probably a little child, starts walking again. I stand up and walk until I am in the middle of the cars. I see a little girl with blond hair and dressed in a dirty pale pink dressing gown. She has her back to me and she’s walking.

“Little girl? I'm a policewoman. Little girl.” I call out to her. She stops when she hears my voice but doesn’t turn. “Don't be afraid. Okay? Little girl.” I say in my mother voice, trying to calm her. I don’t want this poor child getting scared of me. When she turns to me, I feel at a loss. She has part of her cheek missing and her eyes are misty and blank. Her pajama is dirty with blood and ripped in some part. I sigh, knowing what will happen in a few minutes. She starts walking towards me and I step back, before I take out my Python from the holster. I aim it at her head and shoot. She falls down, teddy-bear and slippers flaying away. I stare at her for a few moments. She was so young, probably close to my son’s age, maybe even younger. _God, this is crazy…_

 

**_Before the Outbreak_ **

I’m sitting in the cruiser with my husband, Shane Walsh, who’s the Deputy. We are having lunch, which is fast food. The radio is talking, though it’s not addressed to us. I’m the Sheriff here. We are parked right outside the school where our son, Carl, is. We are looking at him playing with his friends.

“What's the difference between men and women?” I ask my husband. He looks at me with a smile.

“Is this a joke?” he asks me. I hand him a napkin.

“No, serious.” I tell him. We are eating as we speak.

“Well, before I met you, I’d never met a woman who knew how to turn off a light. The other women are born thinking in a switch, it only goes one way. On. They're struck blind the second they leave a room. I mean every woman, I ever let have a key, apart from you... I swear to God. Come home, house all lit up, and my job, apparently because… because my chromosomes happen to be different cause I then gotta walk through that house, turn off every single light this chick left on.” he explains making me laugh. He laughs with me.

“Is that right?” I ask him.

“Yeah, baby. I was surprised when I saw you turn the lights off after we got married. Especially when I saw you walking around the house, turning off every light that was still on.” he tells me. I smile at him and we kiss, before he keeps talking. “Alright, Reverend Shane's preaching to you now, girl.” he says, making me smile. “The same chick, mind ya. She bitched about global warming. That's when Reverend Shane wanted to quote from the Guy Gospel and said ‘Um, darling? maybe you, and every other pair of enormous boobs on this planet just figured out that the light switch see, goes both ways, maybe we wouldn't have so much global warming.’" he says. I stare at him in disbelief. I’ve known about some of his exes, but some of them were really stupid.

“You said that?” I ask him, trying not to laugh.

“Yeah. Anyway, uh… Polite version… Still woman, that… that earned me this. This look and loathing you would not believe. And that's when the exorcist voice popped out. ‘You sound just like my damn father. Always, always yelling about the power bill, telling me to turn off the damn lights.’" he answers me. I chuckle.

“What did you say to that?” I ask him, curious.

“You know what I wanted to say. I wanted to say, ‘Bitch, you mean to tell me you've been hearing this your entire life and you are still too damn stupid to learn how to turn off a switch?’ You know… I didn't actually say that, tho.” he says. I laugh, holding my stomach. He laughs too, before leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.

“That would have been bad.” I tell him once I calm down.

“Yeah, went with the uh… polite version there…” he says. I shake my head at his stories.

“Very wise.” I comment.

“Yes, ma’am. Have you and Lori talked? I mean, you’ve been at home some more these days, and she’s your older sister…” he asks me, making me sigh.

“We didn’t have a good talk.” I tell him. He moves the bags of food and moves closer to me, putting his arms around me and pulling me to him. I snuggle into his side.

“Sweetheart, the least you could do is speak to her.” he tells me.

“That's what she always says: ‘Speak’. ‘Speak’. You'd think I was the most closed mouth son of a bitch you'd ever hear her telling.” I vent to him.

“Do you express your thoughts? Do you share your feelings and that kind of stuff with her as you do to me?” Shane asks me. I sigh.

“The thing is… lately whenever I try… everything I say makes her impatient, like she didn't want to hear it after all. It's like she's… pissed at me all the time, and I don't know why.” I tell him, snuggling into his side some more.

“Look, love, that’s just the shit sibling go through. Look at me and my brothers, we fight all the time but we’re still good.” he tells me. I nod at my husband.

“Last thing she said this morning? When she came over to take care of Carl? You were already in the car, remember?” I ask him. He hums and nods.

“’Sometimes I wonder if you even care about your family at all.’” I tell him, which earns me a look of disbelief. “She said that in front of our kid, Shane. Imagine going to school with that in your head.” I say. Shane holds me tighter against his side. “Difference between me and my sister? I would never say something that cruel to her. Certainly, not in front of _my son_.” I tell him, angry. He kisses my temple and hugs me. Suddenly, the radio calls us.

“All available units, high speed pursuit in progress Lincoln county units request local assistance. Highway 18 south GTAAD W217 243. Proceed with extreme caution.” the voice says. I get back in the driver seat and we fasten our belts, before I start the car and drive, turning on the siren. I see Carl turning to us for a second, before I turn the car. As we move, Shane throws the remains of our lunch in the bin and we go. As we drive, another unit follow after us. Shane puts on his cap and leather gloves as the radio describes our wanted men. “Suspects are two male Caucasians. Be advised, they have fired on police officers. One Lindon county officer is wounded.”  the woman on the other side says. I stop the car in the middle of the road and Shane gets off and goes to the car truck to take the spike strips we have in there. I get down too and help him set them on the road to stop the suspects. Once we’re done, we get back in the cruiser and I drive in reverse until we get close to the other unit. We all get out and get ready, keeping the cars’ doors open as shields.

“Sounds like they're chasing those idiots up and down every back road we got.” Jonas says.

“Hey, we'll get them on one of those video shows, you know, like World's craziest police chases, what do you think?” Leon asks, making me roll my eyes at him.

“What I think, Leon, is that you need to stay focused. Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off.” I point out, taking a look at his gun. He realizes his mistake and corrects it. We all turn to the road, pointing our weapons. As we hear the sirens getting closer, my husband speaks.

“Would be kind of cool to get on one of them shows.” he says, making me scoff and shake my head. We see the car coming down the road. It hits the spikes dead on flips multiple times, before it crashes.

“Holy shit.” Shane breathes out. We aim our guns at the men inside the car. I see the driver open the door and coming out with a gun.

“Gun, gun, gun.” Jonas shouts.

“Put it down! Put the gun down!” I scream at him, but the man starts firing at us. We start shooting too, until one of the men shoots me in the chest, where I thankfully have the bulletproof vest. The shot still makes me fall down breathless. I turn to Shane, to see him starting to shoot at the man who shot me, killing him. Another man comes out and almost shoots my husband, who readily avoids it. I turn on my belly and shoot at the man, killing him. Everything stops, no more men coming out of the car.

“RICKI!” I hear my husband scream.

“I’m alright!” I scream back, reloading my Python. I slowly sit up, seeing Shane running to me and kneeling down.

“I saw you get tagged, baby, it scared the hell out of me.” he says, helping me stand while checking on me. I’m still breathless because of the hit.

“Me too. Son of a bitch shot me. You believe that?” I ask him, examining my ruined vest.

“He got you in your new vest.” he says. I nod at him, sighing.

“Yeah. Shane, we do not tell my sister that happened. Ever.” I tell him, turning to look at him. “You understand…” I say, before I feel a burning pain in my side, right under my left arm. “Aah!” I scream, falling down. I feel Shane’s arms around me, but the only thing I can think is the pain. Sharp excruciating pain. I gasp, before the sounds start to get muffled and the world starts to gets black. I can hear my husband’s voice but I can’t understand the words with how much my side hurts. I cry, gasping for breath. I see Shane’s face over me, looking at me with wide worried eyes. I feel his hands on my side and his lips on my forehead, before they too start to disappear. I stare at him. My husband. My love. _Shane. Carl. Lori. I love you. I love you. I love… you._ Then everything becomes black.

 

**_59 days after the Outbreak_ **

I wake up, staring at a grey ceiling with a constant beep around me. I see Shane, my husband, walking up to me with a vase of flowers in hand. He kisses my forehead and stares at me with wet sad eyes. “Hey, sweetie… We're still here. We're still hanging in. Look, I'm sorry, love. I mean watching the same crap every time I come in here. Everybody pitched in on these. They uh… They wanted me to bring them down, they send their love and they just… They hope you come back real soon. Linda and Diane from dispatch, they picked these out. You probably could tell, hmm? I'll just set this on your side table, ok? I miss you, love. _We_ miss you. Carl doesn’t laugh anymore and Lori is always worried. She comes here almost every day. I try to come by as often as I can, but work is getting harder and harder every day. Carl told me to give you a kiss so,” he says, before he kisses my cheek. “here you go.” he says, standing back. “I love you, Ericka Grimes. Wake up, okay? We need you.” he tells me, before he goes. I sigh, staring at the ceiling. My throat is dry and I have never felt this sore, not even when I gave birth to Carl.

“That vase has something special. Fess up. Did you steal it from your Grandma Gene's house? I hope you left her that spoon collection. Love?” I say, chuckling a bit, before a coughing fit hits me. I hear no answer from my husband. “Shane?” I call out, tuning to the bedside table. The flowers are dead and dry. “Shane, you in the john?” I ask. I don’t hear anything and turn back to the flowers. I touch one of them and it falls down on the table, where other flowers are. I turn to the other side, where I see a clock on the wall. It’s frozen at 2:17. I frown in confusion, gulping down the bad feeling I’ve just got. I look around the room, seeing everything not functioning. I try to sit up, but feel something around my torso. I look down and see myself wearing white T-shirt and grey sweatpants. I’m also wearing my grey cardigan. This is the outfit I usually wear when I’m in the hospital. I raise my T-shirt and see bloody bandages around my torso, covering my side. I put my T down and slowly sit up. My side hurts but I’m still able to do it. I take off the tubes in my nose and I try to get off of the bed but fall down because of my trembling. “Nurse, help. Nurse. Help!” I call out, but no one comes. After a few tries, I’m able to stand up on my own and slowly walk into the room’s bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror and see my hair longer than I remembered. I’m also thinner and paler. I wash my face and drink some water to soothe my dry throat. I sigh as I feel the cool water flow down my sore throat. Once I’m done, I get out of the room to find a stretcher in front of it. I push it away, stumbling a bit. I see the hallway in disarray, with the lights flickering. There are papers everywhere and no one’s around. I look to my right, where I see a light flickering and walk over there. I look around as I walk, noticing that the hospital is empty. I walk in front of the reception and try to find a phone there. It’s a blind search, since there’s no light and I can’t see anything. I feel with my hands around and find a little packet of matches. I take it and light it up, using it to look around. Unfortunately, I don’t find the phone anywhere. I turn to the flickering light and walk there. I see the light coming from behind the door and walk there. I peak from one of the glass window on the doors and see a horrifying sight. There’s a corpse. It’s a woman’s one, since the face is completely intact. The rest of the body, from the neck down, looks like it was eaten until only the bones where left. I gasp and stumble back. _Oh God, what the hell is going on here?_ I turn around and start walking away from there. The hallway I walk in is almost completely dark, except for the last light, the one closer to the metal doors. I look at the wall and see bullet holes, with blood dripping from them. The blood looks really old. Same goes for the other wall, only there’s more blood there. I walk by the door and go on. The closed door I see in the one to the cafeteria. There’s a writing over it, it says **DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE**. I look at the handles and see a set of chains locking them together. I walk closer to it and touch the handles. Before my hands touch them, the doors get opened until they are ajar. I hear groans and moans coming from the other side. I then see a pale hand coming from in between the doors and it has dirty dead nails. I see other hands coming near it. The putrid smell that comes from behind the doors is nauseating and I back away, disgusted. I run out of the doors and towards the elevators, where I push the call button. The elevator doesn’t open and I run to the stairs, which are completely darkened. I use the matches I have to descend them until I reach a door. I push it and the light blinds me. I get out and lean on the wall, waiting for my eyes to get used to the light. I then open my eyes and see the yard of the hospital. I descend the last stairs, stepping on the ground. I see covered bodies everywhere. There are many flies and the smell is even worse than the one I smelled in the hospital. I slowly walk in between them, looking around to see if I could find the cause of this massacre. I walk out of the hospital’s yard and to the road. I walk over the hill, going to the front of the hospital. There, I see pure devastation. _Good God._ _This is hell on earth._ It looks like an army base was here, before it got overrun. There’re bodies everywhere, literally. I walk away, toward the center of the city. I pass by the park, where I used to bring Carl when he was a toddler. I see an overturned bicycle and half of a corpse near it. The decayed corpse looks like that of a woman’s, with long hair. I walk to the bicycle, trying not to get too close to the body. I pick up the bicycle and get on it. As I do, the corpse moves and the head turns to me. I breathe out a “Shit.” as the dead eyes staring at me. It moves its arms in my direction and tries to crawl towards me while growling. I see a small pendant around her neck and recognize it to be Magda’s necklace. She was one of the mothers I had made friends with, her daughter was in the same year of my baby. I stare at her, before I ride away from the corpse she has become. I ride home, where I let the bicycle fall down and run inside.

“Carl! Shane! Lori!” I scream into the house, running from room to room, looking for them. “Carl! Shane! Lori!” I keep calling out. I start to have problem breathing and stop, knowing I’m starting to panic. I kneel down and lower myself to the floor. I start crying. _God no, please, let my family be alive. Please._ “Is this real? Am I really here?” I ask myself, rocking back and forth. “Wake, wake up!” I order myself, slapping my cheek. _Let this be a nightmare. Please._ I get out of my house and walk to the steps. I sit down, not knowing what to do. In the distance, I see a man. I wave at him, gaining his attention. He starts to walk towards me. I stare at him as he stumbles. I suddenly hear a noise behind me and turn, only for something metal hitting me in the face. I look at the person and she a boy. _My baby._ “Carl… Carl? I found you…” I say, before seeing the boy as someone else. I turn to the other way, where I see a man shooting the one I had waved at before in the head. The man then comes to us.

“Hey, miss! What's that bandage for?” he asks me, pointing his gun at me. I frown at him, headache strong.

“What?” I ask him.

“What kind of wound? You answer me, damn you! What's your wound?” he asks me again. I only stare at him, not having the strength to answer him. “You tell me! Or I will kill you.” he threatens me, but everything gets dark.

 

* * *

 

When I wake up, I’m in a bed once more. I look around and I find the man from before on my right. I see the boy on the other side, a baseball bat in his hands.

“Got that bandage changed out. It was pretty rank. What was? The wound?” the man asks me.

“Gun shot.” I tell him.

“Gun shot? What else? Anything?” he asks again. I frown at him.

“Gun shot ain’t enough?” I ask him.

“Look, I ask and you answer. It's common courtesy, right? Did you get bit?” he asks me. I frown in confusion, not understanding what he was talking about. _Bit? By what?_

“Bit?” I ask him.

“Bit. Chewed. Maybe scratch? Anything like that.” he tells me.

“No, I got shot.” I tell him.

“Just shot?” he asks me.

“As far as I know.” I confirm.

“Hey… Let me…” he says, before he puts a hand on my forehead. He then turns to the boy, who is probably his son. “Feels cooler now.” he then turns to me and says “Fever would have killed you by now.”. I frown at him.

“I don't think I have one.” I tell him.

“Be hard to miss.” he tells me. He then takes out a knife and brings it in front of my face. I try to move back but the pillow stops me. “Take a moment, eh? Look how sharp it is. You try anything… I will kill you with it, and don't you think I won't.” he threatens me. I keep still, not showing any fear. _I’ve been working as a cop for many years, and I’ll be damned if let this man scare me._ He stares at me before cutting the strings that imprisoned my wrists to the headboard of the bed I was lying in. “Come on up when you're able. Come on.” he says, taking his son out with him. I stare at the door, before standing up, mindful of my side, and slowly follow after them. I take the cover with me, wrapping it around myself, making sure it doesn’t block my movements. I get downstairs of the house we are in. Everything is dark, the only light in the house coming from the candles on the kitchen table, where the man and his son are. I go into the living room, seeing all the windows blocked with wooden bars. I see some pillows and mattresses on the floor with covers all around. I look around, recognizing the house.

“This place… It's Fred and Cindy Drake's.” I tell the man. He walks into the living room, watching me.

“Never met them.” he says.

“I’ve been here. This is their place. Their twins went to school with my boy.” I tell him.

“It was empty when we got here.” he informs me. I walk up to the window and move the curtain. “Don't do that.” he tells me, making me turn to him. “They'll see the light. There's more of them out there than usual. I never should have fired that gun today. The sound draws them, now they're all over the street. Stupid… using a gun… It all happened so fast… I didn't think.” he explains. I follow him into the kitchen, where he is serving soup. I stare at him in disbelief. _How can he be so calm? He killed a man!_

“You shot that man today.” I tell him. They both look at me as if I was crazy.

“Man?” he asks me.

“No man…” the boy says, making me frown. _How could it not be a man?_

“What the hell was that out of your mouth just now?” the man asks his son. It reminds me of those times I corrected my son when he said something wrong.

“It wasn't a man.” the boy corrects himself. I shake my head at them.

“You shot him. In this street, out front, a man.” I say.

“For him, you need glasses. It was a walker.” he says to me. I just stare at him. _Walker? What the…?_ “Come on.” he says, interrupting my thoughts. I frown, confused. “Sit down, before you fall down. Here. Eat.” he tells me. I sit down.

“Daddy… Blessing…” the boy tells his father.

“Yeah.” the man says. The boy stares at me and I sigh, before we all hold hands. “Father, we thank thee for this food… Thy blessings… We ask you to watch over us in these crazy days. Amen.” he prays.

“Amen.” the boy says. We then start eating. _I’m so hungry._ I feel the man’s eyes on me.

“Hey, miss, do you even know what is going on?” he asks me.

“I woke up today. In a hospital. Came home, that's all I know.” I tell him.

“But you know about the dead people, right?” he asks me.

“Yeah, I saw a lot of that. Out on the loading dock, hauling trucks.” I tell him, nodding.

“No… Not the one's they put down… The one's they didn't. The walkers. Like the one I shot today. Cause he would have ripped into you. Try to eat you, take him some flesh at least. But I guess if this is the first you're hearing, I know how it must sound…” he tells me. I stare at him.

“They're out there now, in the street?” I ask him.

“Yeah. They're even more active after dark sometimes. Maybe it's the cool air or… Hell, maybe it's just me firing up that gun today. But we'll be fine long as we stay quiet. Probably wander off by morning. Well, listen… One thing I do know… Don't you get bit! We saw your bandage and that's why we were afraid of. Bites kill you. The fever… burns you out. But then after a while… You come back.” he explains me. I look down. _Hell, this is fucked up._

“Seen it happen…” the boy says. I look at him and he lowers his eyes. His father pats his arm, before we go back eating. We finish dinner and I help the man cleaning everything up. We go into the living room, where the boy falls asleep near his father. I’m lying on the other mattress, looking at the boy.

“Carl… He your son? You said his name today…” the man tells me. I look at him and nod.

“He's a little younger… than your boy.” I tell him.

“And he's with his father?” he asks me.

“And with his aunt, I hope.” I tell him.

“By the way, name’s Morgan Jones. My boy’s Duane.” he says.

“Ericka Grimes. Call me Ricki.” I tell him.

“Dad?” I hear the boy ask. We both look at him.

“Yeah?” Morgan asks him.

“Did you ask her?” Duane asks.

“Your gun shot… We got a little bet going. My boy says you're a… bank robber.” Morgan tells me. I smile at Duane, who is looking at me.

“Yeah… That's me. Deadly as Dillinger. Kapow. Sheriff.” I tell them, before a car alarm goes off outside. Duane freaks out and starts panic, Morgan trying to calm him down. I stand up and go to the window.

“Hey, it's ok, daddy's here. It's nothing. One of them must've bumped a car…” he says.

“You sure?” I ask him, looking at him before turning to the window again.

“Happened once before. Went off a few minutes. Get the light, Duane.” Morgan tells his son, before the lights get dimmer. I turn off one of the lights and go to the window, Morgan near me. He moves the curtain, looking through a little chink. “It's the blue one, down the street. Same one as last time. I think we're ok.” he says, letting me see what’s outside. I see many walkers stumbling around the car.

“That noise… Will it bring more of them?” I ask him.

“Nothing to do about it now. Just have to wait 'em out till morning.” Morgan tells us. Duane looks outside too and gasp out “She’s here.”, before running back to the bed, crying. “Don't look. Get away from the windows. I said go! Come on!” Morgan says, following him and lying next to his son. He starts to comfort Duane. I look at the female walker and see some resemblance to Duane. _Probably his mother._ I see her moving to the door and follow her, spying her through the peephole. I see her coming in front of the door, blankly staring at it. I then see the door’s handle moving and stare at it. _She’s trying to enter the house._ I walk back to the mattress I was lying on before. I hear Morgan sobbing and sniffling. “She, uh… She died in the other room, on that bed… Nothin' I can do about it here… That fever, man… Her skin gave off heat like a furnace… Should have put her down, I should have put her down, I know that, but… You know what… I just didn't have it in me… She's the mother of my child.” Morgan explains to me. I look at him, still hugging his son. I stare at the still moving handle, before we go to sleep.


	2. Days Gone By (part 1)

Ricki's outfit: [Going Home](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=it&id=217352209)

Ricki's outfit: [Going To Atlanta](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=it&id=217395405)

Ricki's horse (Ebony): 

 

**The Walking Dead**

**_Days Gone By (part 1)_ **

The next morning, when I wake up, Morgan hands me some of his wife’s clothes and a mask. Duane gives me a baseball bat. “Okay. You need to know how to kill them. Come on, off we go.” Morgan says, before gently pushing me to the door. I put on the mask and step outside, fearing a big number of walkers. Instead, we only find one.

“Are we sure… they're dead?” I ask Morgan.

“You have to ask, just one more time. They're dead. Except for something in the brain. That's why it's gotta be the head.” he explains me. I nod at him and start moving towards the walker sitting on the ground. It sees me and stands up to attack. I ready myself and start swinging the bat at its head until it’s not moving anymore. My T-shirt is bloody, as are the mask and the pants. I feel pain in my side and kneel down. I feel Morgan’s hands on my shoulders as I try to take deep breaths. “You alright?” he asks me.

“Need a moment.” I say, breathing hard. He then helps me stand and we go to my house. I enter the house and walk into the sitting room. “They're alive. My husband and son and sister. At least they were when they left.” I tell him.

“How can you know? By the look of this place…” he says, making me turn to him.

“I found empty drawers in the bedroom. They packed some clothes. Not a lot. But enough to travel.” I tell him, my mind becoming practical.

“You know anybody could've broken in here and stolen clothes, right?” he asks me, as if it was obvious.

“You see the framed photos on the walls?” I ask him, pointing at the empty walls. “Neither do I. Some random thief took those too, you think?” I ask him, opening a dresser in the sitting room, where we used to keep the photo albums. “My photo albums, family pictures, all gone. My sister is the kind of woman who would never leave pictures of her family behind. And I know my husband too would have taken them with him if he thought I was dead. As a memory for our boy. I would have done the same thing.” I explain to him, seeing his eyes getting wet at my words while he chuckles. He sits down on one of the chairs my mother loved so much.

“Photo albums… My wife… Same thing… Here I am, packing survival gear, she's grabbing photo albums…” he tells me. _Same thing every woman would do, probably. Especially every mother._

“They're in Atlanta, I'll bet.” Duane says, walking closer to his father. _Atlanta?_

“That’s right.” Morgan agrees with his son. I frown, confused.

“Why there?” I ask him.

“Refugee settle. Huge, when they said it, before the broadcast stopped. Military protection, food, shelter… They told people to go there. Said to be safest.” Morgan explains. _Maybe they’re really there._ I feel hope in my heart that my little family might be still alive.

“Plus, they got that disease place.” Duane adds.

“Center for Disease Control. Said they were working on how to solve this thing.” Morgan specifies. I nod in understanding. _That would be really safe._ I walk to the cabinet and take out my keys.

“Come on, if there’s a safe place here, it might be the sheriff station.” I tell them. Morgan thinks a bit, before nodding. The follow me to my cruiser, who was parked in the garage, something Shane and I used to do when we knew we might have been called soon. We get in and I drive it to the station, which looks abandoned. We slowly enter and look around to see if we find walkers. Thankfully, we are the only ones in it. I go to the shower rooms and open it, Morgan and Duane right behind me. The water gets warmer until it’s hot. I smile.

“Gas and light have been down for maybe a month.” Morgan tells me. I smile at him and shake my head.

“Nah, man. Station got its own propane system. Pilot's still on.” I tell him, seeing the smile coming on both his and his son’s faces. I smile and go to the women shower room, where I take a shower and cut my hair, which had come to just over my shoulders. I look at myself as I wash and see how thin I’ve become. My ribs could be see with no problem, same with my hips. My left side has the bullet scar, which is still red, though not an angry red anymore. I look down at my body and see no hair on my legs, nor under my armpits, nothing. I touch my arms, where the small hair women have should be, but I feel nothing. I examine my entire body and find out that, apart from my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, I have no body hair. I frown. _What the hell happened to me?_ I see my pale skin and pinch it. It doesn’t even get red after I release it. The pain isn’t even there. _The hell…_ I shake my head at the new characteristics of my body and finish washing myself. I go to the women locker room and find my old clothes, the one I had left here before everything happened. I then go to the men locker room, where I find Morgan and Duane already dressed.

“Everything okay?” I ask them. Morgan turns to me and smile.

“Yeah, everything okay. Atlanta sounds like a good deal. Safer anyway. People… That's where we were heading. Things got crazy. Man, you won't believe. The panic… Streets won't fit to be on, and then we'll… My wife… couldn't travel. No, not with our herd, so we had to find a place to lay low. And then, after she died… We just stayed hunkered down. I guess we just froze in place.” he tells me, keeping his voice down so that Duane wouldn’t hear.

“Plan to move on?” I ask him, coping the volume of his voice.

“Haven’t worked up to it yet.” he says. I nod at him. I bring them to the gun room, where we take weapons and ammos. “A lot of it's gone missing.” I tell him.

“Dad, can I learn to shoot? I'm old enough.” Duane asks Morgan.

“Hell, yes you're going to learn. We gotta do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon.” Morgan tells him.

“That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that, Duane.” I tell him, my motherly instinct coming to the front.

“Yes, ma’am.” he says.

“Here. Go on.” Morgan tells him, handing him a gun to load. Duane goes to do that. Morgan then walks up to me and we look at each other.

“Take that one. Nothing fancy. Scope's accurate.” I explain to him. He takes it and we start going through the weapons. I take half of them and leave the other half to them, putting my weapons and ammos in a bag and take it to the cruiser, while Morgan takes the other weapons to the car parked near the station. I turn to them once I put the bag in the car. “Conserve your ammo. Goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice.” I tell them, getting nods from the two. “You sure you won't come along?” I ask Morgan.

“A few more days… By the end, Dwayne will know how to shoot and I won't be so rusty.” he answers me. I open the car’s door and take out a walkie-talkie and give it to him. I check it before giving it to Morgan. “You got one better. I'll turn mine on, a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that's how you find me.” I tell him. He nods, before looking at me.

“You think they're here?” he asks me.

“Can't afford not to. Not anymore.” I sigh. He nods at me.

“Look, just one thing. They may not seem like much one at a time… but in a group, all round up and hungry… May you watch your ass.” he wishes me. I smile at him.

“You too.” I say, before we shake hands, before Duane comes closer.

“You a good woman, Ricki. I hope you'll find your husband and son and sister.” He wishes me again. I give him a grateful look, before turning to Duane.

“Be seeing you, Duane. Take care of your old man.” I tell him, shaking his hand and ruffling his hair. He smiles at me.

“Yes, ma’am.” he says, before following his father to their new car. I see Morgan turn and stare at something behind me. I turn and see my old collogued, Leon Basset. He was a walker now and was leaning on the other side of the fence.

“Leon Basset?” I ask to myself, staring at the walking corpse. “Didn't think much of him. Careless and dumb, but… can't leave him like this.” I tell Morgan, walking to my dead fellow cop.

“You know they'll hear the shot.” Morgan reminds me.

“Let's not be here when they'll show up.” I tell them, turning to look at them.

“Come on, son.” Morgan says, taking Duane to their car and getting in. I stop in front of the fence, looking at the snarling corpse on the other side. I take out my Python and aim it at his head. I pull the trigger and he falls down, now really dead. I then get into my cruiser and we all drive away, Morgan turning right while I take the left. He honks at me while I turn on my siren for a few seconds as a goodbye. _I’ll miss them._ As I drive past the park for kids, I stop the car. I get down and slowly walk to Magda’s dead corpse. She has moved from the spot where she was when I last saw her. I look around and find her a bit far off. I put on my hat and walk there, taking my time. As I walk, I take a look at the park and see the many little daisies all around. _Carl used to take one and run to me, and then we would tear off the petals while saying ‘Daddy comes here, Daddy doesn’t come here.’._ I smile at the memory. Shane always sneaked up on Carl, winking at me to keep quiet. He then would take Carl in his arms and faking eat his cheeks. I chuckle at the surprised shout Carl used to let out whenever that happened. I then stare at the spot where we usually went to eat on Sundays, Lori would always be there with us. They were such funny pic-nicks. I reach Magda and stare at her, feeling my heart clench at the state my old friend was in. She didn’t have the energy to even move. I feel tears in my eyes but I don’t let them fall. I kneel down next to her.

“I'm sorry this happened to you.” I tell her, before taking out my Python and shooting her in the head, feeling relieved to know my friend was finally at peace. I then stand up and walk back to my cruiser. I get in and drive to Atlanta. As I drive, I pick up the radio and speak on the emergency channel. “Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond. Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice? Anybody out there? Anybody hears me, please respond. Hello, can you hear my voice?” I ask. Unfortunately, nobody answers. I try again. “Hello? Hello? Can anybody hear my voice?” I ask once more. I only get radio silence. “Can you hear my voice?” I try, hoping that this time someone would answer. “Anybody who reads, please respond. Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond.” I speak in the radio. I get nothing back, so I put the radio down and focus on driving.

** Carl’s P.O.V. **

I hear the female voice from the CB and focus on it, stopping cleaning squirrels with Daryl. Daryl and his older brother Merle are the ones that are taking care of me, since I found out dad is sleeping with aunt Lori. I get angry thinking about it. _How dare they?! Mom hasn’t been dead for not even a year and dad already forgot her!_ I focus on the voice, which sounds incredibly familiar.

“Hey, boy. Why’d ya stop?” Daryl asks me. I turn to him, who is looking at me with curiosity. He’s not open with the rest of the group, but he’s always kind with me. He acts like a second dad, but he’s better than my real one, because dad started not caring for me as much as he did. He spends most of his time with aunt Lori, and he didn’t even care for the reason I decide to move in the same tent of Daryl and Merle.

“The voice is familiar.” I tell him. He hums and looks at the CB, where the voice is coming from.

“Anybody who reads, please respond. Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond.” the woman says. I recognize the voice and gasp.

“Mom! That’s mommy’s voice! My mommy is alive!” I tell Daryl, who gives me one of his rare smile and hugs me to his side.

“That’s good, Carl! Your mama’s gonna come here for ya.” he tells me, ruffling my hair. I smile at him and laugh when he takes his hand away from my hair. I turn and see dad and aunt Lori argue. _Serves you right! She’s gonna scold you so much you’ll beg for her to forgive you!_ I think, before going back at cleaning the squirrels with Daryl, a big smile on my face. I see a truck coming to us and see Merle, Glenn and the others coming back.

** Ricki’s P.O.V. **

After some time, I see the gas level low and stop at a car. I get down and take the weapons’ bag and walk up to a house. I walk to the door and knock. “Hello? Police officer out here. Can I borrow some gas? Hello? Hello? Anybody home?” I ask. No answer comes from the house, so I walk to the window and look inside. I see two corpses, male and female. The man still has a rifle pointed at his head. I read a writing on the wall which says **GOD FORGIVE US**. I sigh and step back. I go sit on the steps and bring a hand on my face, before moving it to the back of my neck. I look around and see a car. I walk there and open it, I check but there’s no key. I close the car door and look around. I see a horse, a beautiful black stallion. I look at it and an idea comes to my mind. I take off my jacket and hat and get inside the fence where the horse is kept. I slowly approach it with the harness. “Easy now, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you. Nothing like that. More like a proposal. Atlanta's just down the road ways. It's safe there. Food, shelter, people, other horses too, I bet. How's that sound?” I tell him, shaking my head at my stupidity for talking to a horse. He stays calm and I wrap the harness around his nuzzle. “There we go. Good boy. Good boy. Now come with me. Come with me.” I coo at him, slowly leading it out. I mount him and stop, waiting to see if it is still calm. “Let's go easy, ok? I haven't done this for years. Easy. Easy, boy. Easy, easy, easy.” I tell him, riding him through the fields, weapons’ bag behind me. “You know, maybe I’ll call you Ebony, since your fur is really black.” I tell him. “Carl would like you.” I say. We arrive to the city and I slow him down. I see many cars abandoned on the other side of the road, and the city looks dead. As we go, I see a few walkers walking to us. I stop Ebony and turn him around. “Run, boy. Run!” I commend him. He follows my order with no problem. _He’s really a smart horse._ We get out of the city and I move him in the direction of the woods. I see a sign saying **SURVIVORS** **\- - > **. I frown, before sprinting Ebony forward. I stop him when I see a man coming to us. He has a rifle in his hands.

“Hell, are ya, girly?” he asks me.

“My name is Ricki Grimes, I come from Lindon and I’m looking for my family.” I tell him, seeing his eyes widen.

“Do Yallhave a son called Carl?” he asks me. His accent brings me back at when I was a kid, growing up in the fields of Georgia. I nod at him. “Well fuck, girl. You're one lucky Whoaman!” he says. I get off of Ebony and walk to him, leading Ebony behind me.

“What do Yallmean? And how do Yallknow mah boy's name?” I ask him.

“He’s at our camp. Come on.” he tells me, before leading the way. I follow after him with hope filling my heart full. _My boy, my baby._

 

 


	3. Tell it to the Frogs (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! I decided to not consider 1x02 since I made Merle one of the good guys from the start and Ricki met him already just ouside the camp. Here's new chapter!! Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

Ricki's outfit: [Coming to the camp](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.locale=it&id=217395405)

Ricki's outfit: [Night with Dixons](https://www.polyvore.com/walking_dead/set?id=232688554)

 

**The Walking Dead - Season 1**

**_Tell it to the Frogs (Part 1)_ **

** Carl’s P.O.V. **

I’m helping Daryl creating more arrows for the crossbow, when I hear Merle’s voice from across the camp.

“Hey, boy! Look at what I’ve found ya!” he screams, making me turn to him. I widen my eyes as I take in the person behind him. _Mom!_ I stand up, running to her, not believing my eyes.

“MOM!” I shout, making her turn to me.

** Ricki’s P.O.V.  **

“MOM!” I hear a familiar voice scream. I turn my head to the right to see none other than my baby running to me. I let go of Ebony and run to him, picking him up in my arms as soon as he’s close enough. I hug him close to my chest, hiding my face in his hair. I feel him cry on my shoulder and I hold on tighter. I realize how light he feels in my arms, but I’m too happy to see him alive to let him go. I start kissing his head and temples, before I move back to kiss his beautiful face all over.

“My baby… My boy… My baby…” I whisper between kisses, rocking back and forth on my feet, like I did when he was a newborn.

“Mommy… I missed you so much… I thought you were dead… Dad said you were…” he whimpers in my neck. I hush him, bringing my right hand on his head, while the other stays under him to keep him up. His legs are around my waist, his arms almost choking me with how strong his hold is.

“It’s okay, baby… I’m here… Mommy’s here…” I whisper into his ear, before kissing his temple again and falling to my knees, keeping him seated in my lap. I slowly move back, checking him over for any possible wound and sigh in relief when I find none. I gently move his T-shirt up a bit to check how much weight he lost and frown in confusion when I see him being perfectly healthy. _He seemed so light… I thought I would have seen his ribs…_

“Mom?” he asks, confused. I look at him, losing myself in his beautiful blue eyes, so similar to mine yet still different. I hug him again, feeling my cheeks wet with tears.

“God, I thought I’d lost ya…” I breathe into his ear, before he hugs me tight.

“I’m here, Mom. Dad brought me and aunt Lori here. He said you were dead!” he exclaims. I move back to cup his cheeks.

“He had every reason to think that, sweetie.” I tell him, lowering my head to touch his forehead with mine.

“But he left you there!” he snarls, crying.

“But I’m here now.” I point out, making him nod and snuggle into my chest. I kiss his head, before looking around. I see the man who brought me here standing close to us, on my left. I turn a little and see another man on my right, holding some similarity to first man. He’s younger, his hair longer, with a crossbow in his left hand and an arrow in his right one. He’s staring at me with a half-smile, his eyes guarded but warm.

“So, yer Carl’s mama?” he asks me. I nod.

“Ericka Grimes, Ricki for short.” I introduce myself.

“Daryl Dixon. My brother Merle.” he says, pointing at the man on my left. I nod at both of them, before I feel Carl move a bit. I let him go, watching as he turns to Daryl and grins, making the man smile.

“See! You’re right! She came for me!” he tells Daryl.

“Told ya.” he states, making my boy giggle. I smile down at my baby, not believing my eyes.

“They took care of me, Mom! Both Daryl and Merle did!” Carl tells me, excited. I frown a bit.

“What about your father and your aunt?” I ask him. I watch my baby’s smile fade into a pout and I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “Carl, baby, what’s wrong?” I ask him, feeling dread taking hold of my heart.

“Dad… he… he stopped caring… He’s always with aunt Lori… She doesn’t have look at me sometimes… I moved in with Merle and Daryl… At least they care for me.” he answers me, freezing me in my spot. I let out a breath, before I feel incredibly angry. I gently caress his cheeks, drying the tear marks still there, before I raise his head to look into his eyes.

“Where are they?” I ask him, seeing panic into his eyes.

“The woods. Better wait for ‘em to be back, though. Wouldn’t wanna get a shock.” Merle warns me, making me frown. I see many other people in the camp, most of them looking at us.

“Where?” I ask him, keeping my eyes on the other people.

“Listen, girl. Better waiting here, trust me.” Merle replies, making Carl nod. I frown.

“That way, prolly.” Daryl says, pointing in a direction. I follow his finger, before nodding at him in thanks. I slowly stand up, putting Carl on the ground and gently pushing him towards Merle, who brings his right hand on my boy’s right shoulder. _I know I can trust them… They took care of my baby…_ I then walk to where Daryl pointed and grit my teeth in anger as soon as my back is to Carl. _You wanted me to talk, Lori? Alright, let’s talk…_ I feel footsteps behind me and look over my shoulder to see Daryl following me. I keep walking, before stopping when I hear a familiar groan. _No… That can’t be…_ I walk even faster now, avoiding the branches in my way, and arrive near a small clearing. I stare, shocked. My heart breaks at what I see. My husband is screwing my sister. _My fucking husband is screwing my fucking big sister!!!_ I narrow my eyes, glaring. _It’s been two weeks! Two fucking weeks!!!!_ I fist my hands, feeling myself tremble with rage. I feel a hand on my left shoulder but I shrug it off. I wait until Shane and Lori cum, before I take a step closer, making sure they both hear me as they’re getting dressed. Their heads snap to me and I see horror - and also fear - in their eyes. _Good… Be afraid…_

“Ricki?... How? What? Wait… This is no---” Shane starts to say, before I walk to him and sock him in the face, hearing a crack. It doesn’t stop me, though. _Two fucking weeks! I’ve been dead to them for two weeks and they’re going at it like fucking bunnies!_ I keep punching him. Gut. Cheek. Chest. Nose. Eyes. Doesn’t matter where I hit. He starts fighting back, making me snarl. I double my speed, avoiding his hands, before he’s finally down, groaning in pain.

“THIS is why you stopped caring for our SON?! _IS THIS THE REASON?! TO SCREW MY BITCH OF A SISTER?!”_ I scream, not caring about gaining the attention of any possible walker.

“Ericka!” Lori calls me, staring at me shocked.

“WHAT!” I snap, turning to her.

“Yours…” I hear. I freeze in my steps, before I move my eyes to Shane, who’s sitting on the ground now.

“What was that?” I ask him, my voice low.

“Your… son…” he points out, making my breath hitch. _Did he just… How dare he…_

“You told me he was your son too, though. Or was that a fucking joke?!” I ask him, ma anger doubling.

“You were already pregnant… He’s not really mine.” he says, making me stare at him in disbelief. I hear a gasp and snap my head behind me, finding my baby staring at us with wide eyes. _No…_ He runs away, Daryl curses, before following him. I slowly turn to Shane, who stopped once he saw Carl.

“I’ll deal with you later.” I threaten him, before I run after _my_ son, leaving Merle behind. I find both Carl and Daryl sitting in a familiar tent. _My old tent…_ I step inside, Daryl’s eyes finding me. I walk to Carl, kneeling down in front of him. I watch as he burrows his head in Daryl’s side. “Carl? Sweetie…” I start.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks me, his eyes peeking up to me. I sigh, lowering my head. “Where you ashamed of me?” he asks me, making my head snap up. I stare into his eyes.

“I would never be ashamed of you. Never. No matter what.” I tell him, voice firm. He sniffles, before nodding. I cup his face, my thumbs drying his tears. “You’re the best thing that ever happened is my whole empty life. I had no purpose before I got pregnant with you. Do you understand me, baby?” I ask him, making him nod.

“Carl, yer mama went through hell to get ya. There ain’t nothing yer mama wouldn’t do for ya.” Daryl says, squeezing Carl’s shoulders. My boy slowly calms down, sniffling a bit.

“But… why didn’t you tell me?” he asks me. I lower my eyes.

“I didn’t want you to be ashamed of me.” I breathe out. “I know how cruel children’s ignorance can be… I didn’t want you to be ashamed. When Shane told me, he didn’t care whether you were his by blood or not… I thought it would have been perfect. But I was wrong.” I explain to my son, my eyes focusing on the ground. “I’m so sorry, Carl.” I tell him, biting my lower lip. I feel two little arms coming around my neck.

“I’m not ashamed of you, Mommy.” he tells me, making me break, crying into his shoulder. “You’re my Mom, you always did your best for me.” he continues, making me nod. _Thanks God for this perfect, beautiful child…_ He moves back a bit and smiles at me. I smile back, before drying my eyes. “Who’s my real Dad?” he asks me, curious now. I sigh, shaking my head.

“I wish I knew…” I say, making him furrow his eyebrow and giving me the cutest pout ever. “Let’s say I was drunk of my ass… Though I don’t regret it.” I point out.

“Really?” he asks me.

“Ya sure had a hell of a life.” Daryl says. I nod, smirking.

“Ya can say that again.” I tell him. “Thought I know he had blue grey eyes. Like yours, in a way.” I tell Carl, making him widen his eyes.

“Wow… I have my Dad’s eyes?” he asks me, making me nod. “Cool.” he whispers, making me laugh.

“Well. Well. Well. Would ya look at this. Y’all left me with the two motherfuckers to have a cute little family moment.” Merle says, peeking into the tent. I huff, before laughing. Carl laughs and leans against Daryl, who huffs and shakes his head. “So, boy ain’t fucker’s kid, eh? Good for ya.” he comments. “By the way, queen bitch and fucker are back.” he tells me. I stand to my feet, my eyes getting cold. I start to walk outside, but a hand on my right wrist stops me. I turn and see Carl.

“Can I come too?” he asks me. I hesitate.

“Our tent is big enough for six people, ya know. Yer comin’ with us.” Daryl states, his tone sure. I nod in thanks, before I take Carl’s hand in mine and get out of the tent, followed by the Dixons.

“Ricki! Let us explain…” Lori starts. I walk up to her and slap her, stopping her words.

“I don’t want any fucking explanation. I was dead for less than a month and you were already fucking like bunnies! What the hell?! I can understand you thought I was dead… But to leave Carl on his own…” I say, clenching my hands. “I can’t forgive that! I won’t forgive that! Ever!” I spat. “From now on, forget we’re related.” I order, pointing at my sister’s shocked face. “And you, forget you even know me or Carl! From now on, we’re nothing to you!” I snarl, pointing at Shane, who freezes. I then let go of Carl’s hand and take my wedding ring and engagement ring and throw them at my now ex-husband. I then take my baby’s hand in my own and go back to Ebony, taking the bags of clothes and the guns off of him. I then hear clapping and turn to see Merle and Daryl, both wearing smirks on their faces. I try to smile, but it probably looks like a grimace. I follow them to their tent and stare. _God, gotta be the biggest tent I’ve seen in my hold life._

__

“Tis big enough?” Merle asks.

“More than enough.” I answer him. Carl helps me with my sleeping bag, before I hear hooves stomping the ground near the tent. I go outside, followed by Carl and the Dixon brothers, to find Ebony waiting for me.

“Wow.” Carl whispers.

“This is Ebony. He helped me get here.” I tell my boy. “Wanna try?” I ask him, getting a nod back. I pick my son and put him gently on Ebony’s back.

“Cool. He’s so tall.” Carl says, laughing.

“Yeah, he is. Was planning on letting him go. He’ll be safer… Prolly.” I tell him, petting the horse’s neck.

“He will find other horses.” Carl adds, smiling.

“Yeah…” I agree, before helping my baby off. I then kiss Ebony’s neck, before slapping his back, watching as he runs away. “Good luck.” I whisper.

“What’s this, Mom?” Carl asks me, making me look down at where he’s pointing. I see him staring at my arm. I frown in confusion, raising my forearm to my eyes. I see dark blue, almost black veins on the underside of my forearm. I check the other too, before I look at the rest of my body, mindful of our two male spectators. I notice how all of my veins are almost black, in clear contrast with my now pale skin. “Mom, what happened to you?” my baby asks me, worried.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I really don’t know.” I answer him.

“Does it hurt?” he asks. I shake my head. He touches my skin, pinching it a bit, but no bruise appears. “Why is it so pale?” he asks, frowning.

“I don’t know baby. But I don’t really feel different from before.” I tell him, before I feel him holding tightly onto my arm.

“Pick me up.” he says, excited. I do so, expecting it to be difficult, but I’m actually able to pick up my child as if he weights nothing. “You’re strong!” he exclaims, laughing.

“I am.” I agree, grinning down at him. I put him down, before Carl takes a hold of my hand.

“C’mon, Mom. I want ya to meet someone.” he tells me, making me frown. I follow him out, looking up to see a woman with short grey hair and a little girl with blond hair, probably around Carl’s age. “Sophia, look! This is my Mommy. Mom, she’s Sophia, my new best friend. And she’s Carol, her mother. They’re the kindest people in the world.” my boy explains to me. I smile at them, getting small shy smiles back.

“Hi, I’m Ricki Grimes. Thank you for being Carl’s friend, Sophia.” I say to the little girl, who smiles wider and nods, her cheeks tinting red.

“It’s a pleasure Ms. Grimes.” she replies, surprising me with her words. I smile, kneeling down.

“Just Ricki is fine, darling.” I tell her, making her nod. Why don’t you and Carl go play for a bit? I know I must have stolen him enough for today.” I say, winking. “If that’s okay with your mother, of course.” I add, looking up at Carol, who nods.

“Of course, you can go, baby.” she agrees, her voice soft. The kids whoop, before they run off to Daryl and Merle, who are sitting out of our tent.

“Hello, I’m sorry for the show I put on before.” I tell Carol, knowing how embarrassing it must have been for her and the other people to see my spat with Lori and Shane.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about us.” Carol says, shaking her head.

“Still, I’m sorry. It’s just… I would have never thought that my _husband_ and my _sister_ …” I start, before stopping, not wanting to continue. I watch as a blond woman calls us.

“Hey, welcome to the camp. I’m Andrea, that’s my little sister, Amy.” she introduces herself, offering her hand. I shake it with a smile.

“Ricki Grimes. Pleasure.” I say.

“Dinner is ready. Why don’t you come sit with us and tell us your story?” she proposes, making me nod. I follow her, finding both Carl and Daryl sitting down with Merle. I look around to find Sophia sitting near a big man, whose face is serious. _I have a bad feeling about him…_ I sit down next to my son, smiling at him as he hands me a plate full of squirrels.

“Hope it ain’t too savage for ya, missy.” Merle says, smirking.

“Of course not! Mom used to cook Kermit frog legs thrice a week! And then we would go fishing during week-ends and eat grilled fish.” Carl says, making both Dixons look at me in surprise. I nod, humming as I eat another piece of meat.

“Well, not bad, Ricki Grimes.” Daryl states, handing me another squirrel. We finish our dinner, Lori and Shane sitting on the other side of the fire, near Amy and Andrea. Carl crawls into my lap as soon as I put down my plate. I hug him close, his back to my chest. Daryl is leaning back against one of the many logs around the fire, his right arm touching mine. Merle is sitting next to him, playing with a switching knife.

“How did you feel, Mom? When you woke up.” he asks me, looking up. I feel Daryl shift and notice him looking at me.

“Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion… all those things but… Disoriented comes closest.” I tell him, caressing his head. “Hadn’t it been for a man, Morgan, and his son Duane… I would have probably died…” I explain, playing with his hair.

“Must’ve been hard…” Andrea comments. I nod.

“Yer got no idea…” I agree. “Hey, why don’t I make Cajun-style Kermit legs tomorrow night?” I ask around.

“Yeah!” Carl exclaims, making some people laugh.  

“Why not? I’m curious.” Daryl says. Merle grins and nods. The others too give their assent, making me nod. I hear Carl yawn and I smile down at him.

“Looks like someone is a lil bit tired.” I point out, making Daryl huff. “Say ‘night, baby.” I tell my boy.

“Goodnight everyone.” he says, waving at the others, who wave back and smile. “Daryl, ya comin’ too, right?” he asks, making said man nod, before he stands up. I pick my son up.

“Night, everyone.” I tell the others, getting a wave from Merle and a smile from Andrea and Carol. I start walking back to the tent and help Carl change into some more comfortable but still useful clothes, before putting him in his bed. I then take off my uniform, before lying down in my cot, right next to Carl. I put on a tank top and some legging, hearing a gasp behind me. I turn, having forgotten that Daryl was there. I see him staring at my right shoulder. “What?” I ask him.

“How did you get that scar?” he asks me. I frown, confused. _What?_

“Fishing accident.” Carl and I say at the same time.

“Hook tore apart your flesh?” Daryl guesses. I nod. _How does he know that?_

“Mom, can you tell me a story?” Carl asks me, breaking me away from my thought. I look down at him with a small smile.

“Which one?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Tale of the Three Brothers.” he says, smiling. I huff a laugh, shaking my head. _Been telling it so many times I know it by heart now._

“Okay, then!” I agree.

“Daryl, listen to this story too! It’s awesome.” my baby says, getting a nod from the man, whose eyes are still on me, his expression a mix of uncertainty and disbelief.

“Here we go. Long a lonely winding road at twilight, in time the three brothers reached the river too treacherous to pass, but being landed in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death, and he felt cheated: cheated because travers would normally drown in the river. Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, so Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave, so Death popped a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to forth from that place without being followed by Death and so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility.” I tell my little one, watching as his eyes slowly close.

“Then what?” Merle asks, coming into the tent to sit on his own cot.

“The first brother traveled to a distant village where with the Elder Wand in hand he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarrels. Drunk with the power of the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility, but that night another wizard stole the Wand and slit the brother’s throat for good measure and so, Death took the first brother for his own.” I say, watching Carl smile and nod. “The second brother journeyed to his home where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he’d once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him; yet soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong to the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her and so, Death took the second brother as his own.” I continue, stopping when I see Carl finally asleep. I lower myself into my cot, before Daryl’s voice is heard.

“What about the third brother?” he asks me, his eyes focused on me still. I sigh, smiling.

“As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility give it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly departing this life as equals.” I finish, feeling my tense muscles finally relax.

“Not bad. Never heard it ‘fore, but cute.” Merle says, voice low.

“Carl loves it. We read it in a book years ago and he loved it so much he asked to buy the book. Been reading that story so much I know by heart.” I tell him, caressing my son’s hair.

“He ask’d me to tell him that one, but I didn’t know it.” Daryl whispers.

“Now you do.” I smile. “Night, guys.” I say, before turning to Carl to hug him to me.

“Night, girly.” Merle says.

“Night, Ricki.” Daryl adds, before I finally fall asleep.


	4. Tell it to the Frogs (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little surpise to the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short.

**The Walking Dead - Season 1**  

**_Tell it to the Frogs (Part 2)_ **  

**Daryl’s P.O.V.**  

I turn in my cot, a strange anxiety in my chest. I look to my left, where Carl and Ricki are sleeping. I stare at the woman, the familiar feeling coming back.  _That scar… I remember that scar…_ I think back at my last adventure of 13 years ago. I close my eyes, turning on my back as memories start appearing in front of my eyes. Peppermint and blue eyes. Soft skin. An angelic laugh. I take a deep breath, remembering the texture of  _her_  skin under my fingers and I caressed her. Her long dark hair around my fingers as I ravaged her mouth. The way her neck arched as I sucked hickeys on it. Her moans as I bit her shoulders. The goosebumps as I licked her scar over and over again. How she arched off of the bed as I took her. Rough and fast. Gentle and steady. Slow and relaxed. I remember caressing her back as we took a break from our love making as she laid on her belly while I hugged her to my side. The way her hands gently followed the outline of my scars. How she worshipped them with her mouth and tongue as I rested on my front while she massaged my back. How she held me close as we both came at the same time, her folds tightening around me as I emptied inside of her for the nth time. I grit my teeth at the thought that I’ll never be able to find her again now.  _She made me feel loved and cherished in a way I never felt before..._  

“Still awake, Darleena?” I hear Merle asks. I huff. “Still thinking about yer angel?” he asks, voice serious. 

“I ain’t stopping anytime soon, Merle.” I tell him, bringing an arm to cover my eyes. “I wish I’d found her back then…” I say. 

“Hey, who knows. Might find her one day.” he wonders. I scoff, before turning to Ricki as I hear her moving. She turns her back to me, Carl on the other side of her. I stare at the scar on her shoulder. I narrow my eyes, noticing the similarity to the scar my angel had. “What?” Merle asks. 

“Rick. Her scar is almost the same as mah girl.” I tell him, turning to meet my brother’s eyes.  

“You gotta be jocking.” he says. I shake my head. “Well shit. Least she has blue eyes.” he tells me. I nod. “You know that… If girly  _is_ your one, than that kid is yours, right?” he asks me. I nod, my hear bursting with hope.  

**Ricki’s P.O.V.**  

I wake up to a loud grumbling. I hear my baby’s adorable laugh and I smile, opening my eyes to find him and Daryl staring at me, Carl laughing while leaning on the hunter’s back. Daryl is staring at me with a smirk, his blue eyes shining with amusement.  

“Yeah. Laugh it up, will ya?” I ask them, smiling. 

“Someone hungry, huh?” Daryl asks, looking at me. I sit up, holding my belly as it makes another grumble.  

“Could eat a horse.” I tell him.  

“Mom!” Carl exclaims, still giggling.  

“What? I’m famished.” I defend myself, grinning.  

“Prolly got some squirrels left.” our hunter says, moving Carl to the ground and tickling him, before he raises to his feet and walks out of the tent. Carl slowly crawls to me and sits on my legs, hugging me.  

“Are you okay, now, Mom?” he asks me.  

“Why wouldn’t I be okay, baby? I got my baby boy, two rednecks who remind me of home and right now yer safe an’ sound.” I answer him. 

“What about Aunt Lori?” he asks. 

“She made her choice. Besides, the camp looks big enough for us to not cross roads every time.” I explain to him. He nods, before a scream startles us. I put on some pants, frowning when they almost fall down. I tighten the belt and put on my boots. I pick up one of the shotguns and take Carl’s hand. We run out of the tent, before I see Carol holding Sophia close. I stop by them and turn to Carl. “Stay with them, baby.” I tell him, waiting for his nod before I start running again. I stop next to Daryl and Merle, looking down at what they are staring. I see a walker kneeling on the ground near a dead deer, its hands buried in the poor animal’s guts.  

“How did it get here?” an older man asks, running up to us.  

“Followed the deer.” Shane says, moving closer. I shake my head, turning back to look at the camp. I frown, licking the tip of my index finger to feel in which direction the wind goes.  

“Wasn’t the deer.” I object. Daryl turns to me, frowning. “Not just that. It’s the wind. Prolly smelled us from where it was coming.” I tell them.  

“They’re dead, Ricki. They can’t smell anything.” Shane tells me, sarcastically. I turn to him, raising an eyebrow. I bit my finger until it bleeds and the walker’s head suddenly snaps to me, completely disregarding the dead animal in front of it.  

“Still sure about that?” I ask him. The walker tries to stand when an arrow pierces its head, killing it instantly. I turn to Daryl who nods at me. “C’mon. Let’s go back.” I say, before we all walk back to the camp. Carl runs to me as soon as he sees me, Carol and Sophia behind him.  

“Mom! What happened?” he asks me, hugging me around my middle. I kiss his head, holding him close.  

“A walker. Came here hunting a deer. We took care of it.” I tell him, watching Carol putting her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. I nod at them, before I take Carl back to the tent. Daryl follows us, a string with four squirrels on his shoulder. I help him clean them, before we cook them and have breakfast.  

“What d'ya think about the walker, girly?” Merle asks me, coming to sit next to us.  

“It’s not safe here. Not anymore. Too many people in a too small place.” I tell him.  

“Should we leave?” Daryl questions. I shake my head.  

“No idea. Let’s wait and watch.” I tell them. I then go back into the tent to pick up the walkie-talkie and turn it on. “Hey, Morgan. It’s me, Ricki.” I say, waiting for an answer.  

“Who is that?” my baby asks, curious.  

“A friend who helped me survive. His name is Morgan. He’s got a son, Duane, around your age.” I tell him. 

-Ricki?- I hear Morgan’s voice.  

“Yes, it’s me. I found my boy. He’s alive” I say, before prompting Carl to speak.  

“HI!” he greets, loudly. 

-That’s good. I’m happy for you.- he tells me. -I did it, Ricki. I took her down.- he says. 

“You guys okay?” I ask them.  

-Yeah. Planning on coming to Atlanta tomorrow.- he says.  

“Don’t enter the city, Morgan! Call me as soon as you see the signal, I’ll come and get you to the survivor camp right out of the city.” I warn him.  

-Okay. See you soon. Over and out.- Morgan says. I turn the walkie-talkie down. 

“Who was he talking about?” Merle asks.  

“His wife. She turned. He was waiting to take her down.” I tell him.  

“Will they come here, Mom?” Carl asks. 

“Yes, baby. I promised them we would have met each other in Atlanta.” I explain. 

“The more the merrier.” Daryl comments, making me smile. 


End file.
